Mindset and Culturally Responsive Sustaining Classrooms: How?
In the last post on mindset, we explore the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of a growth mindset in the culturally sustaining classroom. This time, I share how I explore the topic of a growth mindset with my middle and high school students. Getting Ready to Learn About Growth Mindset in the Culturally-Sustaining Classroom As we know, […]
Mindset and Culturally Responsive Sustaining Classrooms: What & Why?
‘Mindset’ is a word that most educators will have at least heard of by now. It comes from Carol Dweck’s book of the same name, and her famous TED Talk (with a transcript and subtitles in 43 languages) is embedded below. In a nutshell, it refers to the idea that people have 1 of 2 […]
Blackout Poetry (Found Poems)
Many students find poetry daunting, so – for me – it’s important to find low-pressure, fun activities to use with poems. Blackout or found poetry is one approach students love. Here, I’ll share how I use this activity with students online or in person. For me, poetry is ultimately about playing with and manipulating language […]
Voice and Choice in World Mythology
Offering students more choice and voice in the classroom can contribute to a culturally-sustaining classroom. As you design with students, you are naturally more likely to create a space where they feel valued as contributors. One way I do this in our World Mythology course is by asking students what topics they want to learn […]
How Can Rubrics Help ALL Students Succeed?
“I hate rubrics!” The fact the statement was made with as much passion as I utter the words, ‘I hate spiders!’ left me more than a little curious. Unfortunately for me, there was no further explanation from that particular Facebook poster, so I was left to wonder why. (Unlike you who will totally understand that […]
News From Around The World
In classrooms with multiple nationalities or multiple languages, it can be challenging to find news from around the world that is accessible and inclusive of multiple perspectives. Finding a news source that isn’t exclusively in one language or focused on one part of the world takes time. I have used news bulletins such as the […]
Culturally-Sustaining World Mythology for Teens
You may be thinking about creating a culturally-responsive world mythology unit. At the same time, you might wonder about finding (and funding!) resources. For sure, the idea of recreating lessons every time your demographic changes might seem intimidating. However, it’s not necessary to recreate the wheel to be culturally-responsive. I want to reassure you that […]
What Is Critical Literacy?
Mandela told us that nothing is more powerful than education to change the world. I believe it. The first step to changing the world is seeing it how it is. Read on to explore how a critical literacy lens helps achieve that goal in the classroom, and download a free printable to get started with […]
Culturally-Responsive Classrooms: An Interview with Ashley Bible
Culturally-Responsive Classrooms: An Interview with Ashley Bible Last week, I had the chance to catch up with Ashley Bible of Building Book Love for a discussion around culturally-responsive classrooms. Ashley is a teacher, blogger, and resource writer for English literature and language in US secondary (11-18) education, but her ideas can be adapted for different […]
We Need Diverse Books – Where Are They?
Diverse Books Offer Windows & Mirrors We’ve talked in a previous blog post about the need for diverse books so students can experience both windows and mirrors in the texts they are presented with. However, this is often easier said than done when our school and classroom libraries (hopefully unintentionally) uphold the notion of white […]